Xie Yue Handed Over Seven Weapons Before Entering

The road to the bakery was short, yet Yan and Magby took a full half hour to walk it.

It was the little one's first time seeing Spirit City, and it had to stop and look at everything. Smoke rose from the blacksmith's shop, and it wanted to watch; smoke rose from the barbecue stall, and it wanted to watch that too; even when an old man put out his pipe, it stood on tiptoe and sniffed for ages.

Yan kept the three rules in mind the whole way. He did not let it touch things randomly, nor did he rush it along.

When they returned to the shop, the little bag on Magby's back held an extra sweet bun, while Yan carried a large paper bag traded for three plates of roasted Berries.

"Safe walk completed, Rotom."

Rotom stamped the final green circle onto the Companion Card.

Yan did not ask about the result first. He opened the paper bag and placed the smallest bun in front of Magby.

"Do you still want to come with me?"

Magby hugged the bun and nodded without even thinking.

"Training will be harder than roasting fruit slices from now on, but there will be rest too. If you don't want to train, just say so directly like you did yesterday."

"Babe."

"If your fire gets out of control, stop first."

"Babe."

"You can't just go with other people because of sweet buns."

Magby lowered its head to look at the bun in its arms, and its nod became a little slower.

Xie Yue said from the side, "That last rule still needs observation."

Yan turned back. "You're talking a lot today."

"You've been talking a lot ever since you tied on that apron."

Several Poké Balls sat on the counter. Yan had originally liked a black-and-gold Luxury Ball, but Magby bypassed it and picked up the most ordinary Poké Ball.

The red and white suited its body well.

"This one?" Yan asked.

The little one held the ball beside its head, indicating that the colors matched.

Yan glanced at the Luxury Ball but ultimately did not try to persuade it again.

Magby raised a claw and pressed the button, turning into red light as it entered the ball. The Poké Ball stayed quiet for two breaths before opening by itself. It jumped back onto the ground, and the first thing it did was check whether its bun was still there.

"Companionship established, Rotom!"

Hu Liena and Eevee applauded together. Pancham also clapped its paws twice by the door. Zorua conjured more than a dozen hands and created a burst of lively applause behind the counter.

Yan bent down and picked Magby up.

The next moment, he put it back down.

Its body temperature really was a little high.

"Walk by yourself for now."

Magby looked up at him, then lowered its head to look at the arm that had just held it.

Without changing expression, Yan tugged his sleeve down a little to cover the reddened spot.

Once the companionship ceremony ended, Xie Yue placed his application form before Xia Che.

"My turn."

Xia Che glanced over it. Xie Yue's handwriting was far neater than Yan's. The time, residence, and task arrangements were all clearly written down, and he had even listed two people who could provide care in an emergency.

"How long have you been preparing?"

"Since the day Nana drew Eevee."

Yan turned his head. "You said you still needed to keep observing back then."

"Observation and preparation can happen together."

"Then why didn't you submit it yesterday?"

Xie Yue glanced at Magby. "I was afraid someone would think I was getting ahead of him."

Yan wanted to argue, only to realize that he probably really would have thought so.

Xia Che returned the form to Xie Yue. "Before the draw, put down any weapons on you."

Xie Yue raised both hands. "I don't have any."

Indeedee brought over a wooden tray and stood quietly in front of him.

After a moment of silence, Xie Yue removed a short dagger from his waist.

Indeedee did not leave.

He pulled a thin blade from his boot.

The tray remained.

Next came two small knives from his sleeves, a fine needle hidden in his hair ribbon, a spare blade tucked inside his waist sash, and a short awl pressed beneath his collar.

Seven items filled the wooden tray in perfect order.

After counting them, Yan said, "You call that none?"

"I wasn't holding them."

"Then I didn't train with the back half of my moon blade either."

Xie Yue looked at him. "You admit there was writing on the back?"

Yan shut up.

Finally, Xie Yue voluntarily put away Martial Soul: Moon Blade and confirmed that there was no longer any sharp aura on him. Only then did Indeedee carry away the wooden tray and give him a receipt listing the seven items.

A pass mark lit up on Rotom's screen.

Xie Yue pressed the drawing device.

Light and shadows flashed rapidly across the crystal surface. He did not stare at the tall silhouettes or guess the type in advance. He merely quietly observed the stance and movement of every shadow.

The figure that finally stopped was not tall.

Its head and arms bore silver-gray blades. Its body was mainly red and dark gray, and it stood on a stone surface, golden eyes fixed straight ahead.

"Pawniard, a Dark type and Steel type Pokémon. It has sharp blades all over its body, so be careful with close-range contact while moving, Rotom."

Yan looked at Xie Yue, then at the crystal surface. "It really does suit you."

"How does it suit him?" Hu Liena asked.

"You both like hiding knives on yourselves."

Xie Yue held his receipt and ignored him.

The soft mats in the ordinary meeting room could easily be sliced apart, so Indeedee opened the stone chamber to the side. Smooth stone slabs covered the floor. There were no curtains around the room, and the edges of the tables and chairs had been fitted with cut-resistant protective layers.

Xie Yue walked in. Pawniard was already standing at the opposite corner.

Neither approached after their first glance.

Indeedee did not leave immediately.

She laid a circle of yellow soft rope across the stone chamber floor, then asked Pawniard to slowly spread its arms. The little one looked at her, confirmed that it was only a measurement, and then extended the blades on both sides as far as they could reach.

Indeedee placed four cork markers along the positions its blade tips could touch.

"Safety distance, Rotom." Rotom told the people outside the window. "Without permission, do not approach from behind, and do not touch the blades on its head or arms."

Yan asked, "What about when it sleeps?"

Pawniard turned to look at him.

"I was just asking."

Indeedee took out several thick, soft covers and asked whether she could temporarily place them over the blade tips. Pawniard reached out to touch one, then shook its head. It clearly disliked having unfamiliar things wrapped around its body.

She did not force it. She merely left the covers by the wall and expanded the range of the yellow rope instead.

Xie Yue watched the entire time.

"It's fine without them," he said. "First, we learn how to get along in its original state."

Pawniard's golden eyes lingered on his face for a moment.

Zorua, however, was very interested in those covers. When Indeedee turned around, it snatched one up and slipped it over the tip of its tail. Then it transformed into a form covered in silver blades and swaggered across the windowsill for two steps.

Magby's eyes lit up as it reached out to touch it.

"Don't touch." Yan promptly picked it up.

Zorua forgot that it was only an illusion. When it deliberately tossed its head, it misjudged the distance and slammed straight into the observation window.

Thud.

All the silver-gray blades scattered, leaving only a little fox with a cork cover on its tail sprawled against the glass.

Pawniard in the stone chamber seemed to pause even in its gaze when it saw that scene.

The corner of Xie Yue's lips moved faintly. "Is the shop always this lively?"

"Today is considered quiet," Xia Che said.

Xie Yue was watching its arms, footing, and the angles from which it could turn. Pawniard was also watching his shoulders, waist, and both empty hands, confirming whether those places concealed an attack.

One person and one Pokémon watched each other for more than ten breaths.

Yan grew anxious as he waited behind the observation window. "How long are you two planning to keep staring?"

Xie Yue did not turn back. "Until it's enough."

Pawniard did not move either.

Zorua stood back up on the windowsill. It probably thought the scene was too quiet. With a flick of its tail, another Xie Yue suddenly appeared in the stone chamber.

The fake Xie Yue approached Pawniard from the side.

Its golden eyes immediately turned toward him.

Pawniard did not swing its arms. It merely stepped half a pace back, angling the blade atop its head between the two figures. From that position, it could defend against the side while keeping watch over the real Xie Yue.

"Stop," Xie Yue told Zorua.

The illusion dispersed.

Zorua was still unwilling to give up. It lowered its body and used the counter and windowsill as cover, preparing to sneak into the stone chamber itself and take the wooden chip from the floor.

This time, it had no illusion to conceal it.

The moment it stepped past the doorway, Pawniard turned its right arm. The sharp side faced itself, while the flat guard blocked Zorua's path. The motion was fast and steady.

Zorua's nose bumped into the guard, sending it tumbling backward onto its rump.

Pawniard did not pursue. It merely used its other claw to point outside the yellow rope.

Indeedee was also standing at the doorway, watching it.

Zorua tucked its tail and obediently retreated.

Xie Yue noticed that Pawniard had deliberately turned its blade aside just now, and his gaze softened slightly. It was wary, but it did not swing its blades wildly just because someone had intruded.

Pawniard fixed its gaze on him again, its expression a little gentler than before.

Xie Yue raised both empty hands and slowly took one step to the left.

Pawniard shifted one step to the right, always maintaining the same distance from him.

When he moved right again, it moved left.

The two figures circled half the stone chamber, neither exposing their back.

Yan could not help asking, "What is this supposed to be?"

Xia Che took a bun from the paper bag in his hand. "Greeting each other."

"They haven't said a single word."

"You said plenty yesterday and burned two pieces black."

Yan lowered his head to look at Magby.

The little one was focused on eating its bun and clearly had not heard.

Inside the stone chamber, Xie Yue finally stopped.

He took out an unsharpened wooden chip, gently placed it on the floor, then stepped back.

"Want to do a low-speed footwork test?"

Pawniard lowered its head and glanced at the wooden chip.

It extended its right arm and used the flattest side of its blade to push the chip to the center line.

It agreed.

But neither it nor Xie Yue took the first step.